THE TOTALISATOR RECORD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18446, 6 January 1922, Page 4

THE TOTALISATOR RECORD.

Wk hare referred elsewhere to the existence of evidence that the public ia feeling the need of retrenchment on the part of the Government. The spending power of the people is less than it was twelve months ago. One of the proofs of this is provided in the diminution in the amounts of money tftiat have passed through the totalisator at the race meetings in the holiday 'Season. A racecourse crowd, it is to bo remembered, is a thoroughly representative crowd. It is composed of' all classes of the community. The extent to which, money is available for "investment” ; on • the totalisator reflects, therefore, more or less accurately the general monetary condition. If people “invest” less it is because they /have less to “invest.” Regarded in this light, the following table, in which the “investments” at the 'principal race meetings of the past fortnight are compared with those at the corresponding meetings of last racing season, is distinctly instructive:

The total of the /“investments” in 1920SI at the holiday meetings of the clubs above specified was £1,693,829. In 1921-22 the total was £1,446,083. There was consequently a reduction of very nearly a quarter of a million this season as compared with last. This, as we have suggested, points to a diminished spending power. Unfortunately the time when the spending-power of the public. is lessened—which should be a time for reducing-thecost of _ government in sympathy with the general monetary condition- —has been deliberately selected as a time when increased ’taxation should be imposed upon the people.

1920-1 1921-2. Auckland R.C. ... £511,456 £439,362 Manawatu R.O. ... 198,056 156,622 Auckland T.G. ... 190,642 213,118 Marton J.O. ... 102,166 70,288 Canterbury Park T.CL - 99,967 ; . 94,991 Taranaki J.O:'' ,L ... 82,051 57,000 Dunedin J.O.,... ._ ... 75,429 64,439 Southland R.C. — _. 73,861 , 55,145 Stratford R.O. ... 61,307 58,845 Hawke’a Bay J.O. ... 67,820 t 43,512 Wairarapa R.O. ... _ 58,768 36,105 Greyroouth T.C. ... 33,578 s 28,343 Wyndham R.O. — 25,650 21,719 Westport T.O. _. ... 20,333 19,430 Westport RjO. ... 24,441 24,362 Gore T.C. ... _. _ ~ 21,699 18,212 Ashburton T.C, ... 26,917 26,091 Waikouaiti R.C, ... ... 19,885 18,509